With the schedule so packed there was little option outside of the move with India set to tour New Zealand, while Australia returns home with a month’s break before taking on South Africa in South Africa in three T20s and three ODIs, and then three more T20s and ODIs against New Zealand back in Australia in March.

It’s a packed house with the benefit being the Aussie stars will return for the end of the Big Bash season.

The Sydney Morning Herald’s Neil Breen said the bizarre sojourn was the price of doing business in 2020 with India set to return for a four-Test series at the end of the year for another blockbuster after the brilliant 2018-19 series which India won.

“India called in an old scheduling debt to get Australia there this week and saying no would have put future schedules in jeopardy,” Breen wrote.

“It’s a fair price to pay and, as much as this summer lacked a contest, the summer of 2020-21 will be jam-packed with them.”

India will be eager to avoid a second straight series loss to Australia.Source:AFP

This year will include the T20 World Cup, a one-off Test against Afghanistan and then the India series next summer.

But until then, Australia will be chasing the crown of becoming the second team this century to win back-to-back ODI series in India

Last year’s tour of India is generally regarded as a turning point for the Australian team.

It beat the hosts 2-0 in the Twenty20 series, before coming back from 2-0 down to claim the one-day series 3-2.

Australia is the only other team to have won back-to-back series in India when it won four straight between 2001 and 2009, but with no other team able to do the same, it would be a huge achievement for the Aussies.

“The ability to go there twice in 12 months and win two series away from home in India would be a huge achievement,” stand-in coach Andrew McDonald said. “India in India are a huge challenge.

“They challenge you in all areas. They challenge with the spin, with the pace bowling and with the batting.

“The crowd is fantastic for them. on their home turf they will be tough to undo. But we feel like we’ve got a balanced squad to be able to do that.”

With AAP

KAYO’S A CRICKETING PARADISE

It will be a cricketing bonanza on Kayo with all three matches being live and exclusive on the streaming services as well as having exclusive BBL matches in conjunction with the first two ODIs, including the Brisbane Heat debut of South African superstar AB de Villiers.

On both days, the BBL match will be played earlier in the day with the match finishing as the ODI is about to start.

Instead of channel surfing, Kayo offers the ability to take on SplitView, meaning viewers can watch up to four streams simultaneously depending on their device.

SplitView allows Kayo subscribers the ability to watch up to four different videos, games or shows on web, tablet devices and selected casting to TVs — and two videos simultaneously on mobile.

Steve Smith seems ready to go.Source:AFP

With the under-19 World Cup also being played at the same time as well as the third Test of the four-Test series between South Africa and England, it’s a complete cricketing paradise for Kayo subscribers.